From the Director - The Salvation Army
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October
2019
From the Director
Your Kingdom Come!
The Christmas season is now underway and we can do for
sometimes find ourselves caught up again in an your country’.
intense mix of crass consumerism—a superficial
To support this
focus on giving and receiving things—as well as
kind of active
the beautiful gathering together of communities
and engaged
and families. A celebration of life!
citizenship, the
The amazing story of a God who would come to Unit has decided
earth to as a Saviour and live amongst us will that in the lead up to
sadly be lost on increasing numbers of people in the election next year we
New Zealand. will provide information highlighting
the issues at stake for New Zealand
For the SPPU, the engagement with life on earth as
and its people, along with providing opportunities
demonstrated by Jesus is actively pursued, among
to discuss them. Look out for this information later
other ways, through an intentional involvement
in 2020.
in the democratic process. With 2020 looming as
an election year there is a need for Christians In and through this all, the Unit will continue to
to see citizenship as an integral part of their work on the issues that we have been highlighting
discipleship. Think of the social issues at stake: in this year around crime and justice, debt-
high rates of poverty caused through a lack of vulnerable consumers, inequality and housing; as
housing and adequate income as well as trying well as looking to see how we might better engage
to further address sometimes punitive welfare with Māori outcomes, aspirations, and concerns
and justice systems. This, along with wealth in our work output in seeking to honour our
inequality and the huge disadvantage minority commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
populations are exposed to, point to the need for
‘Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth
a more dynamic response if we are to seriously
as it is in heaven.’ —Matt 6:10
address these important issues. And all this goes
without mentioning the three very important and Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Hutson
potentially divisive issues heading for inclusion in Director—Social Policy & Parliamentary Unit
referenda—drug reform, euthanasia and abortion.
Taking up the responsibilities of citizenship is a
significant part of the incarnational discipleship
that a follower of Christ might see as part of his or
her mission. Some would say a loss of the sense
of social responsibility associated with that of an
involved citizenry is one of the key maladies of our
age. The kind of servant-like attitude is arguably
missing what President Kennedy famously called
for in his inaugural address when he said, ‘ask not
what your country can do for you, ask what you
October 2019
Key SPPU News Just Action
• The Unit has been very busy in the last few
months. All of these papers, covering crime
ON CONFERE
and punishment, housing and problem debt,
T I N
are available on our SPPU website. The recent C
papers were:
C
A
E
T
Reconsidering
201
JUS
the Aotearoa New
Zealand criminal
9
justice policy
model (Vincent)
Sphere
Case resolution
and rehabilitation
Rest
programmes in
blic
ori
Aotearoa New
Zealand (Vincent)
Pu
n
gt
Sp
e
The housing
he
th
to
crisis facing i rit
Pasifika people in
Aotearoa (Ronji)
Debt collection and repossession in Aotearoa 1–2 October 2019
(Ronji). We hosted about Wellington 200 people
City Corps • 92 Vivianfrom all over the
St Wellington
Pacific at our biennial Just Action conference
• Also, keep a look out for the other reports we’re
Featuring a fantastic line-up of speakers, including:
David Moxon • Justin Lester • Maata Wharehoka
in Wellington onArchbishop
1–2 October.
Mayor of Wellington Speakers
Guardian at Parihakafrom a
sir
releasing in the next few weeks:
Emeritus Anglican Marae
wide range of spiritual,
Ngaire Kerse •
prof
President ofpolitical,
the Methodist Church and
Setaita Veikune
rev mnzm
academic
• Terrance Wallace
Progress towards equality (Paul)
Auckland University InZone Project founder
perspectives
Registerspoke about the wellbeing challenges
now at salvationarmy.org.nz/just-action-2019
Refining criminal justice outcomes: An evidence- facing our country and what we can do to improve
based programme for reform (Vincent). outcomes for our whānau. A good report on the
event can be read HERE. Our next social justice
• The Unit also farewelled our 2020 intern Corallee
Collins-Annan. Corallee recently wrote an article conference is likely to be held in 2021. If you have
reflecting on her time in the Unit—salvationarmy. ideas about what you’d like to see (or if you’d like
org.nz/article/policy-reform-intern-reflection. to help organise it), drop us an email!
The Unit acknowledges the work Corallee has
done this year and wishes her God’s richest
blessings for the next phases of her life!
October 2019
Out & About
Speaking/Presentations • 16/10 Attended FinCap Trust board meeting in
Wellington – Ronji.
• 17/10 Presentation and discussion with Mindanao
Philippines Young Leaders training, Victoria • 19/10 Community Organising training attended by
University—Paul. Vincent.
• 29/10 Speaking at Recovery Church, Auckland—Ian. • 21/10 Auckland City Housing Trust—Ian.
• 17/11 Ronji preached at the Pukekohe Corps • 25/10 Meeting with the Quaker Criminal Justice
service. It was a blessed time of fellowship with Committee—Vincent.
Ted, Aram and the Pukekohe whanau. Ronji taught
from Matthew 7:13,14. • 25/10 Meeting with TEAR Fund—Ian.
• 21/11 Panel member at the Inaugural Pacific • 29/10 Meeting with Sr Lee Tan of the Josephite
Island Lawyers Association Conference, held in Sisters—Vincent.
Auckland—Ronji. • 29/10 Meeting with representatives of the
Middlemore Foundation—Ian.
Submissions
• The Unit has continued advocating around • 04/11 The Unit hosted Michael Ward from
Christians Against Poverty at our Monday morning
some of our recent key submissions, including the
team meeting.
Online Gambling Review and the Kainga Ora Homes
and Communities Bill. The Unit has also tried to • 05/11 University of Otago & Salvation Army
support the advocacy around the recent Abortion partnership meeting—Ian.
Legislation Bill and End of Life Choice Bill, which
has been led by MASIC. • 18 & 19/11 Attended the FinCap Trust regional hui
for financial mentors and budgeters in South and
West Auckland—Ronji.
Government
• 15/10 Attended NZ Homelessness Action Plan Media
South Auckland Hui—Ronji.
• 02/10 Vincent spoke on Rhema Radio about
• 23/10 First meeting of the Sector Experts Group Just Action.
on the NZ Homelessness Action Plan led by the
Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in • 06/11 Vincent spoke on Mike Hosking Breakfast
Wellington—Ronji. and Rhema Radio about his criminal justice
research.
• 6/11 briefing from Ministry of Social Development
on Household Incomes Report 2019, latest poverty, • 06/11 Comments to Stuff.co.nz on hardship grants
hardship and inequality data. figures—Paul (read HERE).
• 08/11 Met with Matt (Housing Policy Analyst) • 11/11 Panel member on the AM Breakfast Show on
from the Ministry of Pacific Peoples to discuss the TV 3—Ronji.
Pasifika housing report—Ronji. • 21/11 Radio interview with Pacific Media Network
for Pasifika Lawyers Conference—Ronji.
• 25/11 Attended Progressive Home Ownership
workshop with MHUD and community
representatives—Ronji. Community Advocacy
• 14/10 Attended Mangere Housing Regeneration
Stakeholder Meetings Group meeting with Kainga Ora Ministry—Ronji.
• 9/10 Welfare advocacy collaborators group • 24/10 Ronji brought his friend Rev. Justus
planning meeting—Paul . Miwanda from Uganda to visit the Manukau CM.
Justus is an Anglican Reverend who leads a large
• 10/10 Phone meeting with the Christian Savings
bank around housing—Ronji. Christian ministry called International Needs
Continued ...
October 2019
Uganda that works in church planting, running 4 Internal Salvation Army
schools, HIV prevention, healthcare and livelihood
and women’s programmes.
• 26 & 27/10 Northern & Midland Division Māori
Ministry Hui—Ian.
• 04/11 Met with Rouruina Brown, CEO of the Cook • 08/11 Salvation Army Social Programme Director’s
Island Development Association NZ, to discuss the
meeting—Ian.
Pasifika housing report—Ronji.
• 08/11 The opening of the Te Hononga Tāngata
• 08/11 Vincent attended a meeting of the Royal Salvation Army Royal Oak social housing—Ian.
Society Te Apārangi Equity Panel of which he is a
member. • 12/11 Mihi whakatau for Envoy Anihera Carroll
to the Midland Divisional HQ—Ian.
• 11/11 Met with Mary Aue from Coconut Wireless
to discuss community advocacy about urban • 12/11 Met with staff from Royal Oak and Northern
redevelopment projects. DHQ to discuss credit issues, legal representation
etc—Ronji.
• 11/11 Te Ohu Whakawhanaunga sponsoring
organisations meeting—Vincent & Ian. • 16/11 Māori Ministry Council Hui—Ian.
• 12/11 ‘Tax on Tuesdays’ discussion series • 17/11 Mihi whakatau for Ken Te Tau the Māori
including political party panel on hosted by the Ministry Cultural Advisor to the Central Division—Ian.
Institute Governance and Policy Studies (Victoria
University), Public Service Association, and Tax
Justice Aotearoa (visit them HERE)—Paul.
• 18/11 Whakamana tāngata: Where to from here?
- Child Poverty Action Group Welfare Summit 18
November in Wellington - https://www.cpag.org.nz/
news/cpag-summit-puts-the-spotlight-on-welfare/
—Paul & Vincent.
• 22/11 Attended Youth Homelessness
Symposium—Vincent.
• 25/11 Meet with Dr Michael Kwok from the Billy
Graham Evangelical Association (Australia office)—
Ronji.
We welcome your feedback
PO Box 76249, Manukau, Auckland 2241
Phone (09) 262 2332 • social.policy@salvationarmy.org.nz
twitter.com/SPPU • facebook.com/SPPUNZ
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